


Like Roses

by silver_fish



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Post-Canon, Slow Dancing, Tales of Femslash Week 2018, before the epilogue tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 05:19:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15308340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/pseuds/silver_fish
Summary: In celebration of Natalia’s coming of age, the royal family of Baticul throws a grand ball. For Natalia, it would be incomplete without Tear by her side.Well, first things first: Tear has to learn how to dance.





	Like Roses

**Author's Note:**

> arrives fashionably late with starbucks and teartalias ,, ahaha really though i really liked the dancing prompt and my mind immediately went to these two. this is probably the only thing i’ll be able to write for the week, but i had a lot of fun with it and i’m really glad i get to post it! i sincerely apologize if anybody is out of character; it’s been a good number of years since i’ve been able to play abyss. also, i'm so sorry if this seems rushed at any point; it is, severely so, but upon finishing at 2am i decided to just say "screw it" and go for it. either way, i do really hope you enjoy!

Tear Grants has been trained in many things. Singing, healing, combat...just to name a few.

Dancing is  _ not _ one of those things.

Well, Natalia probably knows that already, but the ball invitation isn’t going away, and neither is the smile on Natalia’s face as she hands the thing to Tear.

And then, of course, to top it all off—

“Please?” she asks.

Tear does not know what to say.

She takes the paper carefully, reading over the details. In the upper end of Baticul, celebrating…

Oh, of course.

“It’s your birthday,” she finally says. “I—I’ll definitely be there.”

“You don’t have to be nervous,” Natalia tells her. “It seems terrifying, but they can be nice functions, and I’ll make sure you have something to wear, so—”

“N-no, that’s okay, I can get my own—”

“— _ don’t worry about it _ ,” Natalia continues. “And we can offer some dance lessons, if you want them.”

“Is dancing required?”

Natalia thinks about it for a moment. “Well, I guess it depends if you’re coming with me or not. I sort of hoped…” She stops, then turns away, cheeks a little pink. “Ah, never mind.”

Tear tilts her head slightly, frowning. “What is it?”

“I—ah, I brought this to you personally because I thought maybe you might want to go  _ with _ me.”

Tear watches her a moment—flushed cheeks, averted eyes, the slight tremor in her voice… She is embarrassed, but…

“Of course I’ll go with you,” she says. “What’s the problem?”

Natalia inhales sharply. “There’s no problem!” she rushes out. “Thank you, Tear. S-so, dancing lessons?”

Tear has always envied Natalia, a bit. Envied the way she lives, brave and bold but still so  _ princess-like _ , regal and beautiful in everything she does. At first, she did not think this of Natalia; she understood Luke’s complaints perfectly about the girl, but both of them matured on their journey, and both have them have wound up here because of it.

They are very good friends, now.

So...what could go wrong, really?

“Okay,” Tear agrees. “As long as you’ll be there too.”

“I will be,” Natalia promises. “We can arrange a few lessons before this date. There are three weeks, so how about one every week? Just an hour or so. However long you want it to be, really.”

Tear nods, but it doesn’t stop the trepidation which creeps through her veins and twists her heart.

“Thank you,” Natalia says, smiling widely. “I’ll have something arranged as soon as possible and let you know of the details. Have a good day!”

She is already leaving before Tear can fully comprehend these words, and, in no time at all, she is alone again, the only testament to Natalia’s visit being the ball invitation in her hand.

It has only been a little over a year since their journey together ended, but there is no doubt that all of them feel similarly sombre about it all, in hindsight. Luke’s absence is omnipresent in any gathering of the five of them.

Throughout the past year, Tear and Natalia have grown closer, bonding through their very different memories of Luke, and then, eventually, coming to find common ground on other things, separate from the journey they shared together. Natalia is easy to get along with; she listens well, and she speaks even more impressively, something that cannot only come from years of training in diplomacy.

Still, as much as Tear care for Natalia,  _ dancing _ is a little…

She sighs, setting the invitation on the table. There’s no choice, now; she has already agreed to it.

She just hopes Natalia doesn’t mind getting her toes stepped on.

* * *

“Just follow my lead.”

Tear grimaces. That will be easier said than done, undoubtedly.

“And relax,” Natalia adds. “You won’t be able to do it if you’re holding yourself like you’re about to be attacked.”

“Sorry.” Tear inhales slowly, willing her shoulders back and down.

“You’re graceful in battle,” Natalia reminds her. “You’ll be fine. Here…” She reaches up for Tear’s hand, guiding it up to her own shoulder. The other one, she interlocks with her own hand. Then, there is a gentle touch at Tear’s hip, but it is strong enough to send shockwaves throughout her entire body.

“Ready?” Natalia asks, and Tear looks up at her, chest heavy.

When they are this close, it is quite apparent that Natalia is taller than Tear. It’s something Tear has never really thought about, but now that she can so clearly see it, it stirs an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

Natalia breathes out, and steps forward. Tear hastens to move with her, but does so with none of the grace Natalia believes she holds within her.

They have a private instructor here with them, but she remains quiet as Natalia teaches Tear the steps. It takes quite a while to get them, but eventually, Tear can step mostly in time with Natalia. It does nothing to ease the tension in her muscles, though it is relieving to know that she isn’t completely unteachable when it comes to dancing.

They take a break, and Natalia offers out a water bottle to Tear as they lean against the wall together.

“Have you never danced before?” she asks as Tear takes a long drink.

“No.” Tear looks down at her feet with a frown. “I didn’t really have anyone to help me. Besides,” she adds, glancing up at Natalia, now, “I only ever wanted to learn to fight. It’s completely possible that Legretta did know how to dance. Van, too, but…” She shakes her head. “I never thought to ask.”

Natalia puts a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“That’s all right,” she says, offering Tear a small smile. “We have time.”

Tear’s lips twitch back slightly in response, and then she busies herself with taking another drink of water before handing the bottle back to Natalia. She accepts it with a quick “Thank you,” and then downs the rest of the water herself. Tear stares at her, throat dry all over again, but quickly snaps out of the moment as Natalia pushes herself off the wall and puts the empty bottle on the other side of the room.

The rest of their lesson carries on easily, with Tear’s slow growth and Natalia’s endless encouragement, as well as occasional tips from the instructor. The next two lessons, too, follow in similar suit. By the end of their third lesson, Tear has at least enough confidence in the dance steps she has learned to follow Natalia for an entire song with only one or two mistakes.

This, they decide, is a certain win.

Natalia sends her back home with a grin and a, “Make sure you get here early so we can get ready together!”

Tear flushes at the thought of it, but agrees, knowing she would probably show up early regardless of the circumstances, if only because Natalia would be there.

The day following their final dance lesson, Tear meets Guy in the shopping district of Baticul, a pre-arranged meeting in order to find an appropriate gift for Natalia’s birthday.

“Natalia told me she’s been teaching you to dance,” he remarks as they browse a local boutique.

Her cheeks sting, and she looks away from him, scowling.

“Mind your own business,” she says.

He only laughs, though. “It wasn’t meant to be insulting. I think it’s nice of her, of course, but I’m sure she has  _ something _ up her sleeve.”

Tear narrows her eyes at him. “What do you mean by that?”

“Just an observation,” he defends. “Maybe you should ask her yourself?”

Tear watches him a moment longer, then sighs and turns away, looking at a shelf of old ceramic pots.

“What do you buy for a girl who can get anything she wants, anyway?” she asks. “I’m not good at gift-buying for a regular person, but…”

“Maybe something less material,” Guy suggests. “You know, I think she likes flowers.”

“That seems pretty clichéd, doesn’t it?”

“If you think of a better idea, I’m all ears.”

Tear’s hand, brushing over one of the pots absently, stops, falling down to her side again. She looks back at Guy, thoughtful.

“What are you getting for her?”

He winks. “That’s a surprise. Anyway, let’s keep looking. I’m sure we can find something you’ll like.”

She nods, and they leave the boutique. It is only late morning, but by the time Tear eventually admits her defeat, the sun has long since reached its peak.

“Flowers it is,” she grumbles, and Guy laughs at her.

They make their way to the flower shop, which is thankfully still open (though will be closing in about twenty minutes, according to the sign at the door), and Tear turns to Guy, helpless.

“So, what kind of flowers does she like, then?”

“Oh.” He pauses, stroking his chin in contemplation. “Well, she likes all kinds, I’m sure…”

“You don’t know,” Tear realizes, horrified.

“N-no, I never said that!” 

But he  _ implied  _ it.

“She likes roses,” he says suddenly. “You know, they’re red! She loves red.”

“Does she?”

“Well, sure. It’s the colour of Luke’s hair, after all.”

Tear stares at him, disbelieving.

“Well, maybe that’s not the reason,” he concedes. “But it is true that she likes red.”

“Roses are  _ super _ clichéd,” Tear stresses.

“It’s fine,” he promises. “Here, we only have a bit of time, anyway, so let’s order them and then you can pick them up tomorrow before you go up there, right? It’ll be more personal if you give them to her yourself.”

“It doesn’t feel overly personal to begin with.”

“Make it personal, then,” he says, and begins making his way deeper into the store, leaving Tear to watch after him, flabbergasted.

It’s true that Tear is not very good at giving gifts. Growing up, it was generally the other way around; Van would bring back gifts whenever he returned, and she was never expected to give in return. In fact, he was so rarely around for his own birthday or holidays that she could probably count on her fingers the amount of times she actually  _ had _ given him a gift.

Since meeting Luke, she supposes she has gotten a little bit. She’s sure they all remember Natalia’s nineteenth birthday, after all, where Tear had gotten her brooch she had found at a merchant’s stall in Chesedonia. It had seemed the perfect gift; and it  _ was _ , really, because when Natalia saw it, the first thing she said, before even a  _ thank you _ , was, “I lost this days ago! Where did you find it, Tear?”

Ever since, Tear has understandably been a little wary of gift-shopping.

They place an order for a bouquet of roses, and then decide to get dinner before turning in for the night. Both of them, along with Anise and Jade, surely, are staying at the inn in Baticul tonight, so they won’t have to travel to get to Natalia’s ball.

Her birthday is not  _ actually _ tomorrow—rather, it is about two days later—but it is apparently quite commonplace for someone of Natalia’s status to have a large function like this to celebrate her accession to adulthood. Tear cannot help but shudder at the thought, hoping that her twentieth birthday will be a small gathering of five or six around a simple cake.

Tear is the first one expected to be at the palace, since she is Natalia’s escort, and she wakes with the sun the following morning, enjoying the morning to herself before hurrying to pick up the flowers and making her way up to the highest level of the city.

Natalia meets her right away, in the same place they have been meeting before their dance sessions. She wears a large smile on her face, and it only grows as she meets Tear’s eyes.

“Good afternoon,” she says brightly. “What’s this for?”

Tear stops in front of her, then thrusts the bouquet out, unable to keep the mild rush of blood away from her cheeks.

“They’re for you,” she says, looking away. “I—I know it’s not actually your birthday yet, but…”

A weight is lifted from her hands, and when she looks at Natalia again, the girl’s eyes are on the roses, something very soft singing through their green hue.

“Thank you.” She looks up at Tear, lips spread into a very fond smile. “I love this colour.”

Tear’s breath catches.

“Come with me,” Natalia says, leading the way down the hall, bouquet in hand.

Tear follows without a word, acutely aware of the way her shoes click against the marble floor. Eventually, Natalia bring her to a large bedroom, and closes the door behind them. On the bed, she has laid out a dress—Tear’s, presumably.

Natalia sets the roses down on the bed, then picks the dress up and beams at Tear.

“Almost the same colour, huh?”

The dress is  _ beautiful _ , floor length and strapless, but with a silky sash around the top of it, probably to cover her arms. Overall it is quite simple, but most notably it is a deep, rich red, just like—

“Roses,” she breathes, then laughs lightly. “How ironic.”

“Do you like it? I hope it fits…”

Tear steps forward, putting her hand over Natalia’s.

“I love it,” she says. “Should I try it on?”

Natalia nods, passing it off and then stepping away. “I’ll wait outside!”

She grabs the roses and is out the door before Tear can even think of another thing to say.

It turns out to be a bit of a task to get the dress on; while its design isn’t overly intricate, it is still more complicated than Tear’s everyday outfits. And a whole lot more restrictive, too. She wonders just how, exactly, Natalia is planning to have her dance in this.

Eventually, though, she opens the door again, and Natalia, no longer holding the flowers, turns to face her. A small gasp slips off of her lips.

“Tear…!”

“Is it okay?” Tear frets, looking down at her figure worriedly.

“It’s gorgeous!” Natalia gushes. “It looks even better on you than I thought it would.”

Tear looks up at her, eyes wide.

Natalia’s cheeks are dusted lightly with pink, and her eyes shine as she takes in Tear’s appearance.

“Th-thank you,” Tear manages, face burning. “Should you—?”

“That’s right!” Natalia smiles, but it is suddenly rather strained. “I should change too! And then we can do the rest together.”

This time, Natalia takes Tear to her own room, and leaves Tear outside while she goes in and gets changed. She is only a few minutes before she comes out again, dressed in a dark green gown, which brings out the colour of her eyes beautiful. She holds a pair of white silken gloves in her hands, but does not put them on.

Tear wonders when her heart started beating quite so fast.

“You look really good,” she says, and Natalia smiles.

Tear’s breath falls away somewhere between them, and Natalia, the oblivious thief, reaches forward and grabs her hand, sending flames up her arm and directly to her chest.

“Thank you,” Natalia says, intertwining her fingers with Tear’s. “I tried to pick something that would go well with yours. Here, come inside.”

She pulls Tear into the room, and then excuses herself again, leaving Tear to sit on a chair before the vanity, focussing carefully on her breathing.

By the time Tear thinks she has a grip on herself, the door is opening again, admitting Natalia and two other women, both quite serious-looking.

“I don’t really trust that I could style your hair and everything myself,” Natalia says apologetically, coming to stand beside her. “I hope this okay.”

“It’s fine,” Tear says, but she is not sure just yet if this is really the case.

Still, before she can think it through, both the women are surrounding her, and Natalia steps away to look on from afar.

It is a painful process; they do her hair up tightly, spraying it with this and that and jabbing pins everywhere they will fit to keep her thick hair from falling. Eventually, they move from her back to her front, and begin directing her on how to hold her face as they apply makeup to it.

It is a test of patience, if nothing else, but, eventually, the women step away and reveal her reflection in the vanity mirror, so very different from the one she was seeing only an hour or two before. Her hair has been braided and twisted up into a large yet elegant bun near the back of her hair, while her face has been adorned with natural hues of makeup, only accentuated by bright red lipstick.

“You look beautiful.”

Tear’s gaze snaps to Natalia, who has come to stand beside her again. The woman’s eyes are soft and bright. Tear gets the distinct impression that he sees nothing in the room except for her, and this thought sends a shiver down her spine.

“Thank you,” Tear says quietly.

“Mind you,” Natalia adds, leaning a little closer to her. “You’re always beautiful, in my opinion.”

Tear bites her lips, thankful for the makeup on her face which makes her blush look a lot less mild than it feels.

Natalia is very close to her, close enough to touch, so very close—

“Your Highness, please allow us to prepare you as well,” one of the women says.

Natalia straightens up and offers her a dazzling smile. “Of course.”

She and Tear exchange places, and, thankfully, it is much less painstaking to watch than it is to experience.

Finally, the women step away from Natalia. It takes a lot less time than with Tear, likely due to the shortness of Natalia’s hair, but she does not look any less stunning. They have clipped her hair back with green pins, so that her face is exposed. She, too, has been given a very natural looks; even her lips are a light pink, standing out for the gloss which coats them, sparkling beneath the light of the room.

“Guests should be arriving soon,” Natalia says as Tear stares at her, wordless. “Let’s get going so we can greet some of them, yes?”

“Y-yes,” Tear squeaks. “Lead the way.”

If Natalia notices anything off in her tone, she says nothing about it, leading the way to where the ball will be held. It is not in the palace itself, but it is very close by. This building, Natalia explained to her during one of their dancing lessons, was the ideal area for this event. Because of the garden, she said, and now Tear feels a little ridiculous for doubting Guy’s assertion that Natalia would be happy with flowers.

The first of familiar faces to arrive is Jade. At his side is Anise, and both of them offer congratulations to Natalia before Anise says, “We have another task at hand here, though, remember?”

When Tear and Natalia both look to Jade curiously, he explains, “Well, this is where the rich gather, correct? It isn’t often this one gets to mingle in such a setting. Don’t worry,” he adds. “I’ll keep an eye on her. She won’t get in too much trouble. At least...not on her own.”

“Ah, but—”

“Happy birthday, Natalia,” Jade says, already following Anise away. 

Natalia sighs, watching them go, and Tear puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure he was only joking,” he assures.

“I know, but it’s still quite a terrifying mental image.”

Not long after, Guy arrives, and he greets them with a birthday wish to Natalia and a wink directed  _ very  _ deliberately at Tear.

Eventually, the doors close, and they announce the first dance, “in celebration of the princess.”

Natalia offers Tear a hand and bright smile.

“May I have this dance?”

Tear takes her hand, unsure of what to say. Natalia doesn’t seem to expect anything verbal, though, and she whisks them away go the centre of the ballroom floor, where they quickly become the focus of everybody else’s attention.

“Just watch me,” Natalia murmurs. “I’ll lead you.”

She does.

It is the best that Tear has danced so far, surely. She stumbles a couple times, unfamiliar with her new shoes, but she finds her footing again in no time, and they fall into a smooth and easy rhythm. More than the beat of the music behind them, Tear thinks she follows the beat of Natalia’s heart, synchronized with her own as they dance.

As more people begin to flood onto the flood, they slip nearer and nearer to the edge of the room, until they eventually stop dancing and find themselves at the door to the garden.

“Step outside with me for a moment?” Natalia requests, and Tear is quick to agree, following her friend outside.

The air of dusk hums around them, welcomingly cool after the heat of the inside of the building. They are the only ones out here, to Tear’s surprise, and Natalia leads her through quietly, until stopping near a bush of familiar flowers.

“Roses are my favourite, you know.”

Tear looks up at her, blinking. “Because red is your favourite colour?”

Natalia laughs. The sound echoes around them, a prayer to angels that only reaches Tear’s ears.

“No,” she admits. “I must confess myself something of a romantic… I know they’re overdone, but I think the symbolism of the rose is beautiful.”

Tear is quiet, waiting.

But Natalia does not say anything more, her eyes scanning the rose bush before them.

The wind whistles gently between them.

“That’s why I chose that dress,” she finally says.

Tear furrows her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly, Natalia leans forward, and she plucks a rose from the bush. When she faces Tear again, there is a small smile on her face, and a burning hope in her eyes.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” Natalia says. “I don’t think it would have been worth if, otherwise. These past few weeks...I’ve had a lot of fun dancing with you. I hope that, even after this, we can keep dancing together.” She holds the rose out to Tear, inhaling slowly. “Will you keep dancing with me, Tear?”

Tear looks from the rose to her face, thinking hard. The rose is a symbol of romance, of course… The dress, rose red, Tear’s gift…

She wants to laugh, suddenly.

“I’ve a lot of fun, too,” she says softly, reaching out for the rose and taking it in her hands. “I’m not a very good dancer, but I think I’ve done an all right job learning so far…” She pauses, lifting the rose to head and tucking it carefully behind her ear. She looks to Natalia again, a smile smile pulling at her lips easily. “I do better when it’s just the two of us, though.”

Natalia’s eyes are so tender, Tear thinks.

“We’re alone right now,” she points out.

Tear nods. “We are. Will you dance with me, then?”

Natalia takes a step closer to her, reaching for her hand.

“Yes,” she says. “I’ll dance with you until we can dance no more.”

And there, beneath the moonlight, before the rose bush, that is exactly what they do.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are always appreciated! xx
> 
> p.s. catch me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/laphicets) or [tumblr](http://guremahi.tumblr.com)!


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